Friday already! The weekend! My second on the detox diet. Jeez, it's going quickly. It's been a manic week at work, and a drink would be nice...a large glass of red wine. But, I don't really mind that I'm not going to have one. I can wait.
Of course, I could choose never to have another glass of wine again. Or a spoonful of wheat or sugar. Maybe that would be the best way. As Gary Taubes said in an interview, we should treat these bad carbs like drugs. You wouldn't say to an alcoholic, "OK, go and have one or two drinks."
Food for thought...although I do have 3 and a half bottles of whisky left to drink from birthday and Christmas!
Still, today was mixed again. I felt OK most of the time, but quite tired in the afternoon. I'm not sure if I'm eating enough through the day. You'll see what I mean from my food diary. I may have to address this and change my eating times to keep my energy levels stable. I'm sure my mentor can advise.
I also had another attack of loose bowels this morning - just a one off, seemingly. I suspect it's IBS. It seems to flare up now and again, especially during times of stress. Work, as I said, has been manic this week.
And I had another indicator that my health is heading the right way. I went to have my blood pressure checked this morning and it was 130 over 88, if I remember correctly. Even with all the stress, it is as low as it has been for years. My dream situation would be to be able to get off the multiple medications I take. Beta-blockers, Acid reflux reducers, BP reducers, antihistamines...I rattle in the morning after I take all the tablets.
Another pound and a bit has come off as well, according to Wii Fit. That's 11 or 12 off, something like that. I had a good 30 minute session again tonight. It was quite a bit of yoga and muscle work, with a quick step aerobic blast at the end. I used the Routine function, telling it I wanted to work on my hips, thighs, waist, shoulders and so on, and it chucked a selection of exercises at me. Enjoyed it. And variety is always good, I think.
Food today:
Breakfast: Greek yog with mixed berries and a pinch of seeds
Lunch: Three-bean soup and side salad (is beetroot OK?)
Snack: Nuts
Tea: Organic sausages with roasted veg.
I might have a rice cake with some of the organic peanut butter in a bit. I had one last night and it was yummy.
Friday, 28 January 2011
Thursday, 27 January 2011
Day 9
A strange day of contrasts today. Felt good for the best part of it, and found myself bounding up stairs and walking around briskly with an energy I've not had in ages. My belt has had to come in another notch as well, and there's at least an inch between notches.
I'm becoming a bit of a bore at work, I'm afraid to say. My colleagues think I'm slightly mad as I warn them about sugar in things. I was offered mini flapjacks and caramel slices galore today (someone brought them in for their birthday), but just wasn't tempted whatsoever.
The perceived wisdom is really programmed into people: fat is BAD. Sugary isn't. I talk about making my own mayo, and a chap pipes up that it's too much of a faff on and I might as well get the stuff in a jar. I say that it's full of crap, and they say to try the low-fat stuff. I stifle a belly laugh and leave them in disbelief when I tell them that the low-far stuff is probably even worse.
I will now plug some reading material: I'm reading a book called "Trick and Treat" by a chap called Barry Groves. It's about nutrition, health, medicine (some shocking exposes of the health/pharmaceutical industry), all those things I find have played a big part in my life. A LOT of the perceived wisdom would appear to be wrong, and I think I am slowly coming round to the idea that a diet low in starchy carbs is a good one. It's what we're genetically predisposed to eat. There are many people waking up to this. There are loads of books out there. Another would be Gary Taubes's "The Diet Delusion" or "Good Galories Bad Calories" (USA). He has a new one out which is supposedly easier to read than the first, called "Why We Get Fat And What To Do About It".
Enough preaching...back to my day. I was busy, really busy, and felt quite jaded and tired for an hour or so at home. I rushed home and paid a flying visit to Tesco, ostensibly to get some fuel for the car, but picking up some goodies (organic peanut butter, rice cakes, brown rice, fresh prawns) whilst I was there. I wolfed my spicy tea down far too quickly and suffered indigestion again. I need to slow down! I'm going to do some more wii fit in a bit, if I can get the TV remote off the wife...
Food:
Breakfast: Blueberries and Greek Yog
Lunch: Veg broth and salad
Snack: nuts
Tea: Chilli Prawn stir fry.
I'm becoming a bit of a bore at work, I'm afraid to say. My colleagues think I'm slightly mad as I warn them about sugar in things. I was offered mini flapjacks and caramel slices galore today (someone brought them in for their birthday), but just wasn't tempted whatsoever.
The perceived wisdom is really programmed into people: fat is BAD. Sugary isn't. I talk about making my own mayo, and a chap pipes up that it's too much of a faff on and I might as well get the stuff in a jar. I say that it's full of crap, and they say to try the low-fat stuff. I stifle a belly laugh and leave them in disbelief when I tell them that the low-far stuff is probably even worse.
I will now plug some reading material: I'm reading a book called "Trick and Treat" by a chap called Barry Groves. It's about nutrition, health, medicine (some shocking exposes of the health/pharmaceutical industry), all those things I find have played a big part in my life. A LOT of the perceived wisdom would appear to be wrong, and I think I am slowly coming round to the idea that a diet low in starchy carbs is a good one. It's what we're genetically predisposed to eat. There are many people waking up to this. There are loads of books out there. Another would be Gary Taubes's "The Diet Delusion" or "Good Galories Bad Calories" (USA). He has a new one out which is supposedly easier to read than the first, called "Why We Get Fat And What To Do About It".
Enough preaching...back to my day. I was busy, really busy, and felt quite jaded and tired for an hour or so at home. I rushed home and paid a flying visit to Tesco, ostensibly to get some fuel for the car, but picking up some goodies (organic peanut butter, rice cakes, brown rice, fresh prawns) whilst I was there. I wolfed my spicy tea down far too quickly and suffered indigestion again. I need to slow down! I'm going to do some more wii fit in a bit, if I can get the TV remote off the wife...
Food:
Breakfast: Blueberries and Greek Yog
Lunch: Veg broth and salad
Snack: nuts
Tea: Chilli Prawn stir fry.
Wednesday, 26 January 2011
Week 2 begins
And I'm finally feeling quite...normal. Normal is good for me, given that I have felt so shite for so long.
There have been a few headaches and a bit of indigestion, but nothing remarkable or debilitating. I hope it continues.
Even the mega-stressful environs of work haven't ruined the day for me. I got over the highly-fraught meeting I had this afternoon quite quickly and rushed home to get my tea.
Food today:
Breakfast: Yogurt and berries and seeds
Lunch: Jacket spud with mexican chicken, onion, carrot, cucumber
Tea: Home-made bolognese-style mince, mashed sweet potato and a few roasted veg left over from last night
Snack: Nuts
There have been a few headaches and a bit of indigestion, but nothing remarkable or debilitating. I hope it continues.
Even the mega-stressful environs of work haven't ruined the day for me. I got over the highly-fraught meeting I had this afternoon quite quickly and rushed home to get my tea.
Food today:
Breakfast: Yogurt and berries and seeds
Lunch: Jacket spud with mexican chicken, onion, carrot, cucumber
Tea: Home-made bolognese-style mince, mashed sweet potato and a few roasted veg left over from last night
Snack: Nuts
Tuesday, 25 January 2011
We're halfway there...
We're living on a prayer. One week down, one to go.
Much, much better day today...well, from 3pm onwards. Up until then I felt OK then pretty rough after lunch. I'd even gone for a little walk outside on my way to the canteen, but after eating I was really sleepy. My stomach settled down eventually, though.
After 3pm I just seemed to get a new lease of life. It might have been going to a different office/site at work. Who knows? It lasted all the way till home time, and tonight I was really keen to get on the Wii Fit and had a good 30 minute blast, doing some step aerobics, a couple of muscle things (lunges, twists and tricep lifts), some hula hoop and a good blast on the medium level of rhythm boxing. My heart was going quite fast at the end, but some yogic deep breathing got it back under control.
Talking of my heart, I hate to tempt fate, but the old tickerooni has been on amazingly good behaviour of late. I used to have at least one ectopic/PVC a day, but they seem to have all but disappeared, or just aren't big enough to notice. Coincidence? I think not.
My cravings for crap have gone as well. Not completely, but on day 3 or 4 I was dying for a capuccino and a muffin or such like. Now I can smell naughty food and it doesn't bother me a lot. I don't find myself hungry at all. I'll still make sure to treat myself at the end of this 2 week "induction" phase, of course.
As for my weight, I have now lost 10lbs since starting this diet. In a week. I am under 18 stone for the first time in years. My mentor tells me this is not unusual for someone who has a lot of weight to shed in these early stages.
So, food:
Brek: 3 egg omelette with spinach and peppers
Lunch: Scotch broth with dry side salad
Tea: Roasted veg (carrot, parsnip, pepper, courgette, sweet potato) with hummus and a couple of slices of ham
Snack: Greek Yog with a few blueberries and 2 strawberries.
Much, much better day today...well, from 3pm onwards. Up until then I felt OK then pretty rough after lunch. I'd even gone for a little walk outside on my way to the canteen, but after eating I was really sleepy. My stomach settled down eventually, though.
After 3pm I just seemed to get a new lease of life. It might have been going to a different office/site at work. Who knows? It lasted all the way till home time, and tonight I was really keen to get on the Wii Fit and had a good 30 minute blast, doing some step aerobics, a couple of muscle things (lunges, twists and tricep lifts), some hula hoop and a good blast on the medium level of rhythm boxing. My heart was going quite fast at the end, but some yogic deep breathing got it back under control.
Talking of my heart, I hate to tempt fate, but the old tickerooni has been on amazingly good behaviour of late. I used to have at least one ectopic/PVC a day, but they seem to have all but disappeared, or just aren't big enough to notice. Coincidence? I think not.
My cravings for crap have gone as well. Not completely, but on day 3 or 4 I was dying for a capuccino and a muffin or such like. Now I can smell naughty food and it doesn't bother me a lot. I don't find myself hungry at all. I'll still make sure to treat myself at the end of this 2 week "induction" phase, of course.
As for my weight, I have now lost 10lbs since starting this diet. In a week. I am under 18 stone for the first time in years. My mentor tells me this is not unusual for someone who has a lot of weight to shed in these early stages.
So, food:
Brek: 3 egg omelette with spinach and peppers
Lunch: Scotch broth with dry side salad
Tea: Roasted veg (carrot, parsnip, pepper, courgette, sweet potato) with hummus and a couple of slices of ham
Snack: Greek Yog with a few blueberries and 2 strawberries.
Monday, 24 January 2011
Day Six
Food:
B: FF Greek Yog with strawberries and blueberries
L: Jacket spud with beefy stuff
T: Chicken stir-fry
Feeling shite. Bad guts, bad head. Is it toxins or depression?
EDIT:
Got on the Wii Fit for a bit of Yoga. It told me I've lost another 5lbs. That's 7lb in less than a week. Crikey.
The yoga made me feel better as well.
B: FF Greek Yog with strawberries and blueberries
L: Jacket spud with beefy stuff
T: Chicken stir-fry
Feeling shite. Bad guts, bad head. Is it toxins or depression?
EDIT:
Got on the Wii Fit for a bit of Yoga. It told me I've lost another 5lbs. That's 7lb in less than a week. Crikey.
The yoga made me feel better as well.
Sunday, 23 January 2011
Day Five...still alive
I think the headaches are starting to abate, and I do feel a bit better. My bowels are as well behaved as they have been in a long time, which is nice.
It was a test today in that I was out and about for most of it, taxiing children to rugby matches. The hardest bit was getting the requisite water into myself.
I got a good couple of miles of walking under my belt today, like. Especially at Wensleydale Rugby Club, which is in a valley with lots of slopes and steps to climb.
Food today:
Brekky: Yog with berries and seeds
Lunch: 2 poached eggs with toasted rye bread
Tea: Grilled salmon fillet and baked potato, carrots and broccoli.
Snack: Apple and hummus
It was a test today in that I was out and about for most of it, taxiing children to rugby matches. The hardest bit was getting the requisite water into myself.
I got a good couple of miles of walking under my belt today, like. Especially at Wensleydale Rugby Club, which is in a valley with lots of slopes and steps to climb.
Food today:
Brekky: Yog with berries and seeds
Lunch: 2 poached eggs with toasted rye bread
Tea: Grilled salmon fillet and baked potato, carrots and broccoli.
Snack: Apple and hummus
Saturday, 22 January 2011
Dave Oar
Have had a relaxing day today, playing X-Box with the boy and just generally chilling. I'd like to start feeling better. The headaches aren't as bad, but they're still there. I don't know if it's my sinuses acting up, the toxins coming out or what. My mentor says it could be both.
The good lady did the food shopping today, and came back with a mass of fresh veg, organic yoghurts and little things to add flavour to dishes (chilli flakes, ginger, etc). I expected her to tell me it had cost a fortune, but it had cost no more than usual. Surprising. I still need to get some rice noodles, organic rice cakes, maybe organic, sugar-free peanut butter...if I can find it.
So, food today:
Brekky: Banana omelette with cinnamon. I was surprised how nice it was.
Lunch: Pork strips fried in a bit of olive oil with onion, mushroom and a couple of left over cooked new potatoes. I mixed a touch of the full fat yog and a tsp of grainy mustard to give it some flavour.
Snack: Nuts!
Tea: Organic sausages (Debbie & Andrews make, wheat free) and some stir fry veg, livened up with some chilli flakes, garlic and ginger. It was really quite nice. I could end up living on stir-fries.
Snack: Carrot and hummus.
The good lady did the food shopping today, and came back with a mass of fresh veg, organic yoghurts and little things to add flavour to dishes (chilli flakes, ginger, etc). I expected her to tell me it had cost a fortune, but it had cost no more than usual. Surprising. I still need to get some rice noodles, organic rice cakes, maybe organic, sugar-free peanut butter...if I can find it.
So, food today:
Brekky: Banana omelette with cinnamon. I was surprised how nice it was.
Lunch: Pork strips fried in a bit of olive oil with onion, mushroom and a couple of left over cooked new potatoes. I mixed a touch of the full fat yog and a tsp of grainy mustard to give it some flavour.
Snack: Nuts!
Tea: Organic sausages (Debbie & Andrews make, wheat free) and some stir fry veg, livened up with some chilli flakes, garlic and ginger. It was really quite nice. I could end up living on stir-fries.
Snack: Carrot and hummus.
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